Illegal Arrest as a Defense for a Drug Charge

In Florida, being convicted of drug possession with intent to sell is subject to severe penalties. Often, the offenders’ punishment is decided based on the type of the drug. For instance, individuals convicted of possession with intent to sell marijuana are likely to serve a maximum jail time of five years, while individuals convicted of possession with intent to sell cocaine are likely to serve a maximum jail time of 15 years.

The second one is, of course, the more severe of the two, and thus it’s essential for those facing such a charge to call on the services of a qualified criminal lawyer right away. Having an attorney by their side means they have a good chance of having the said penalties reduced.

In some cases, an attorney can even discover loopholes in the case through their own research and investigation. Such technicalities can serve as a defense strategy to have the penalties reduced or have the entire case dropped. Access to such ambiguities is hardly possible without a criminal lawyer handling the case.

For instance, attorneys can present evidence that during their client’s arrest, the police officers did not have an appropriate warrant to execute a search. This constitutes a violation on the part of law enforcement officials, making the arrest illegal and the case invalid.